US delegation of Zionist Rabbis visits Azerbaijan’s Parliament

A delegation led by Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, chairman of the Coalition of Zionist Rabbis in the United States, visited the Milli Majlis, Azerbaijan’s Parliament, STMEGI reports.

The meeting included Milli Majlis deputy and head of the Azerbaijan-Israel interparliamentary working group Anatoli Rafailov, Chairman of the Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Ties Samad Seyidov, and other members of the working group.

Rafailov briefed the visitors on the development of Azerbaijan-Israel relations, emphasising that cooperation between the two countries is dynamic and consistent. “Azerbaijani-Israeli cooperation is a vivid example of mutual understanding and partnership between states representing different cultures and religious traditions,” he said.

He highlighted that Azerbaijan’s Jewish community enjoys equal rights and freedoms alongside other ethnic groups. With support from President Ilham Aliyev, synagogues, schools, and cultural centres have been restored or built in areas with concentrated Jewish populations.

Rafailov noted that Azerbaijan is home to three Jewish communities—Mountain Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, and Georgian Jews. Following the collapse of the USSR, many Ashkenazi and Georgian Jews emigrated, leaving Mountain Jews as the primary community. Today, the Jewish community is one of the country’s most active and influential religious groups.

Jewish newspapers are published in Azerbaijan, and various organisations operate alongside seven synagogues. Qırmızı Qəsəbə (Red Town) in the Guba region remains a unique center for Mountain Jews in the post-Soviet space, housing three synagogues and a mikvah. Additional synagogues function in Baku, Guba, and Oghuz, including one of Europe’s largest, established in Baku in 2003. Five Jewish schools operate nationwide, and the Chabad-Or Avner Education Center focuses on preparing the younger generation.

Rafailov also underscored the role of Azerbaijan’s First Vice President and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, who pays special attention to cultural, educational, and humanitarian initiatives.

By Khagan Isayev